A trip to the Burren in the Mog.
Revised Nov '01
"Leave only footprints - take only photographs"
- Hugh McKenna, Oregon, on the Burren.
Click on the Mog for a big picture.. Mercedes connection: The Mercedes-Benz Oldtimer Center in Frankfurt shot their calendar here a few years ago - they spent three weeks getting twelve shots, using one photographer, three trucks, two 330s cars from the fifties,a helicopter and a staff of about forty helpers... |
One of my favourite places is the Burren - five hundred
square miles of karstic limestone in North Clare, on the west coast of Ireland. This
extraordinary place is a haven for rare flora and wildlife, and is also a paradise for
archaeology, geology, geomorphology and a host of related disciplines. These pictures are
taken in Ballyreen, near the western coastal edge of the Burren. Here can be found many of
the rare flora - alpine and arctic species co-existing at sea level, a remarkable
consequence of the most recently glaciated landscape in Europe. Here also can be found
some of the elusive creatures - otters play in the tidal kelp, feral goats climb the rocky
hills and cliffs, and the rare pine marten has a stronghold a short walk inland at Poll an
Cheataí. Flooded caves often discharge rainwater a short distance offshore, creating the
extraordinary sight of an area of fresh water in the North Atlantic, as the lighter
density fresh water rises to the surface .It is obviously vital not to damage this fragile eco-system, therefore all vehicles, particulary those capable of off-road travel, must keep to the bare rock. |
 Click on those Mogs... |
The boulders in the background of this picture attest to the
power of the sea - in the great storms of 1988 and 2000 massive chunks of limestone,
bigger than the Unimog, were moved over eighty feet overnight. These in some places
exposed incredible fossils - evidence of the plant and anilmal life that once teemed in
warm tropical seas when the limestone was laid down millions of years ago. One expert from
University College Cork has described this place as a world-class fossil site. Today this area attracts rock climbers, cavers and campers, and the local cliff rescue team frequently train on these rugged cliffs with their helicopter crews. It is a great place to sleep overnight, yards from the breaking waves. I stayed here with my son Dermot on a camping trip in June, 2001.
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This shot shows my Mog and my friend John MacNamara's 1959 190D outside his restaurant - the
legendary "Admiral's Rest". No visit to the Burren is complete without a stay
here - inevitably you will run into some expert on some aspect of the Burren, dropping in
to meet John himself and to catch up on all the latest happenings. John and I organise the Burren Wildlife Symposium, and we are working on a webpage to tell you some more about it - you will find it on http://www.burrenwildlife.com |
Hugh McKenna on getting to know the Burren.
converting the brakelights to red-red
The trip from Germany to Ireland (all text)
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